Fibre-optic DP 1.4 video cable prices coming down

[Quartz]

Earlier this year I paid £180 for each of three 10m fibre-optic Displayport 1.4 cables. I now find that they're now available for £80. This is competitive with high-end copper cables. (OCUK don't sell these, so not competitor links.)

I can thoroughly recommend fibre-optic cables, and hope they come down in price even further.

 

[Steveocee]

What is the advantage other than being able to be longer?

 

[Quartz]

What is the advantage other than being able to be longer?

None. Okay, the cables are slimmer. The thing is, I've found anything over 3m in copper to be twitchy for 4k+. Length is the real winner. Rather than my likely unique home issues, consider a conference room with a projector. With a 10m or 20m cable you can have a 4k projector in the ceiling with the controlling PC placed more conveniently.

 

[Quartz]

Paging @OcUK - PREDATOR for info.

 

[Tom Parton]

Hi guys,

Quartz is correct in what he is saying. There really isn't any advantage in using Fibre Optic cables unless you're trying to run monitors or displays in a high resolution from an excessive distance.
Only over long distance (Say 20+ metres) will fibre actually give you a benefit. Obviously there is some benefit at shorter distances too, but its not as noticeable.

For general use, there's no speed difference (thats noticeable anyway) and as of yet, the pricing of these cables far outweighs the advantages.

I did check with our suppliers out of curiosity and nobody that I deal with actually supplies or stocks Fibre Cables.

 

[CryptKeeper]

Is something like this necessary for a 10 meter range or do the standard 10 meter DisplayPort cables work well enough for PC gaming?

 

[Quartz]

Is something like this necessary for a 10 meter range

I've not tried it over 10m for basic 1080p, but I had real problems running at 4K at anything over 3m. And the 5m Lindy copper cables I tried were more expensive than 10m fibre-optic ones are now!

Where fibre-optic cables really come in is conference rooms and trade stands. In conference rooms the projector is often in the ceiling whereas the controlling PC is often in a cupboard, so you need 10-20m (maybe more) of video cable to link the two. On trade stands the PC is often secured out of sight with only the monitor, keyboard, and mouse in stealable locations. It's the security of the company data that's at issue; the cost of the PC is relatively trivial.

For the home enthusiast, you've spent hundreds of pounds (maybe a thousand!) on your super-duper GPU. You've spent hundreds of pounds (maybe a thousand!) on your super-duper monitor. Why baulk at spending under a hundred on the the thing that lets the two work together in that super-duper way?

 

[CryptKeeper]

I've not tried it over 10m for basic 1080p, but I had real problems running at 4K at anything over 3m. And the 5m Lindy copper cables I tried were more expensive than 10m fibre-optic ones are now!

Where fibre-optic cables really come in is conference rooms and trade stands. In conference rooms the projector is often in the ceiling whereas the controlling PC is often in a cupboard, so you need 10-20m (maybe more) of video cable to link the two. On trade stands the PC is often secured out of sight with only the monitor, keyboard, and mouse in stealable locations. It's the security of the company data that's at issue; the cost of the PC is relatively trivial.

For the home enthusiast, you've spent hundreds of pounds (maybe a thousand!) on your super-duper GPU. You've spent hundreds of pounds (maybe a thousand!) on your super-duper monitor. Why baulk at spending under a hundred on the the thing that lets the two work together in that super-duper way?

I'm thinking of building a PC in a cupboard, so it looks like something like this is indeed necessary

 

[d_brennen]

Interesting. I've a couple of Ethernet video sender/receiver combos at work, will keep this in mind when replacing. Is there such a thing as DP > fibre > faceplate anyone know?

 

[tyler_jrb]

I'm thinking of building a PC in a cupboard, so it looks like something like this is indeed necessary

Mine is in my cupboard and even at 15m no issues pushing 4k 60hz and 165hz 1440p. Older even expensive cables had no chance where these ones have no issue. Even had 3440x1440@120hz without issue.

 

[CryptKeeper]

Mine is in my cupboard and even at 15m no issues pushing 4k 60hz and 165hz 1440p. Older even expensive cables had no chance where these ones have no issue. Even had 3440x1440@120hz without issue.

Is it just displayport cables that don't work well over long distances? Do you run a USB cable to a desktop HUB, for example? Any issues there?

 

[Quartz]

I use an active 5m USB 3 cable and run that and a normal USB 2 cable to hubs on my desk.

 

[Quartz]

Is it just displayport cables that don't work well over long distances? Do you run a USB cable to a desktop HUB, for example? Any issues there?

You might find this video interesting if you're willing to spend four figures

Skip to about 10 mins.

 

[tyler_jrb]

Is it just displayport cables that don't work well over long distances? Do you run a USB cable to a desktop HUB, for example? Any issues there?

I have both a fibre optic DP and a hdmi. DP runs 1440 165hz, hdmi does 4k 60hz. Expensive but I tried other cables over the same distance and they couldn’t manage it or gave some kind of issue. The fibre optic ones haven’t given me an issue over the past year or so.

With regards to the hub it is just attached to my desk. Powered via my 3 port wall charger. And plugged into my pc via a long usb 3.0 cable with inbuilt repeater. No issues driving all 5 ports including wired mouse + keyboard. Not a difference between using the hub and plugged directly into the system which surprised me.

Pc in my wall cupboard is best decision I’ve ever made. Runs at the same speeds all be it about 5c hotter watercooled. The noise difference is massive, like it is in another room. Can hear a pin drop when the system is at full load. Before even watercooled it was quite loud and took up a lot of room. Now single desk and I had the old 900D case + box in the cupboard anyway so doesn’t take up any extra room.

 

[CryptKeeper]

I have both a fibre optic DP and a hdmi. DP runs 1440 165hz, hdmi does 4k 60hz. Expensive but I tried other cables over the same distance and they couldn’t manage it or gave some kind of issue. The fibre optic ones haven’t given me an issue over the past year or so.

With regards to the hub it is just attached to my desk. Powered via my 3 port wall charger. And plugged into my pc via a long usb 3.0 cable with inbuilt repeater. No issues driving all 5 ports including wired mouse + keyboard. Not a difference between using the hub and plugged directly into the system which surprised me.

Pc in my wall cupboard is best decision I’ve ever made. Runs at the same speeds all be it about 5c hotter watercooled. The noise difference is massive, like it is in another room. Can hear a pin drop when the system is at full load. Before even watercooled it was quite loud and took up a lot of room. Now single desk and I had the old 900D case + box in the cupboard anyway so doesn’t take up any extra room.

Perfect, I'm 100% doing this now. Thanks for the heads up. How long is your USB cable? Which brand and length did you get and which hub did you buy?

For me the noise isn't too bad, it's more for the heat. It gets over 32 degrees in my room on a hot summers day.

 

[Quartz]

I have fibre-optic cables running 4k @ 60 and 120 Hz and 3440x1440 @ 100 Hz.

I'll echo @tyler_jrb's comments about the lack of noise. It really is good.

Corning and Lindy make fibre-optic USB 3 cables but they are fantastically expensive. Active USB 3 cables work just fine at a fraction of the cost. If you go to Ali Express you'll find a 10m fibre USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) cable available from Anmck for US$100.

 

[tyler_jrb]

Perfect, I'm 100% doing this now. Thanks for the heads up. How long is your USB cable? Which brand and length did you get and which hub did you buy?

For me the noise isn't too bad, it's more for the heat. It gets over 32 degrees in my room on a hot summers day.

Just a relatively cheap hub and cables from amazon. About £25 for hub and about £20 for cables although I have an extra couple metres on the end of the USB. Just a standard 3.0 extension.

The fibre optic dp and hdmi were quite expensive around £70 for the DP and £49.99 for the hdmi if memory serves but well worth it.

What I have is/ all from amazon.
Atzebe 10m dp1.4 was £75 but unavailable now. Still other brands.
Atzebe 10m hdmi 2.0 :- £51.99
GIKERSY 7port 3.0 powered hub :- £25
CSL 5m usb 3.0 cable with active repeater :-£17.85

I also have extensions for my sound card. Audio cables and mic/headphone cables. All work perfectly.

And yes does make a difference to ambient temp. Pc tends to heat up a bit with the door closed but still within acceptable levels for me. GPU maxes about 55c even on the last 30c hot spell with door closed. Still fine imo for me though.

 

[CryptKeeper]

Thanks guys, I'll go for the fibre displayport cables and try a regular USB cable before forking out for a fibre one.

My cupboard backs onto the wall of the building so I was thinking to stick a bathroom extractor fan in to regulate the temperature a bit.